And the Weird Music News of the Week Award Goes to ...

OPM Nightclub and Ultralounge! You may already know that the self-proclaimed "VIP" dance club is actually one half of dual-city enterprise—there's one in Las Vegas, Nev., (Caesar's Palace) and one in downtown Albuquerque (two blocks from the railroad tracks). What you didn't know is that one was voted the No. 1 "Upscale Hip-Hop Nightclub in the World," supposedly by more than one milllion voters in the Yahoo Readers’ Poll. The other is closing after this weekend. Bet you can't guess which is which!

Musicians remind us why New Orleans matters

By Mel Minter

Thanatos and Eros, that timeless couple, never dance closer than when in New Orleans, where every breeze carries scents of mortality and carnality. So maybe it shouldn’t come as a surprise that despite the devastation of Katrina, the indifference of the Bush administration, and the incompetence of the Army Corps of Engineers, the city is showing small signs of a resurgence.

Serious? No, but seriously good, 4real. Frontman Shane O'Neill screams of slumber parties and cutting a bitch's throat because she stole his lip gloss—and lots of other stuff, like casual Friday and a dude who's 20 percent gay. "OMG" shows up in the lyrics. Maybe all this sounds dumb, but it's his delivery that makes it kinda genius. Plus, the band kicks mondo ass—tight, simple punk rock that's unafraid to be goofy. It's rare that something so artsy and yet so rowdy and funny comes across this desk. [MD]

Yule Logs and Jingle Balls • Holly Rebelle • Mena Domina • burlesque

By Devin D. O'Leary

Gilded Cage Burlesk and Varieté is definitely getting on Santa's Naughty list with Yule Logs and Jingle Balls: A Very Risqué, Very Glittery, Very Burlesque Ode to the Holidays. Burlesque dancers, sideshow performers, drag acts and more join forces to celebrate this most sparkly of holidays in grand style…